Page 81 - Powerlist 2019 - Digital Edition

Raining men? This year,

it’s reigning women!

Once again the Powerlist 2019 is full of exceptional women taking on high-level
positions across a variety of sectors, from banking to IT and technology. For the
first time, there is an equal number of women and men on the list.

The prestigious Cranfield School of Management, one of the world’s leading business schools,
highlighted exceptional women leaders to look out for in 2018, at least of four of
whom are recognised on our list this year. Gouri Sharma speaks to these outstanding women
about leadership, overcoming challenges and the importance of sponsorship.

Netsai Mangwende

chartered accountant, then that it was crucial to identify
Netsai has 14 years’ decision-makers who will genuinely
A experience in the UK support your progression. You
insurance market. Prior to her really need to connect with
current role as Head of Finance influencers who will be your
for Great Britain at Willis advocate, advise you, support
Towers Watson, she worked in you, create opportunities to
areas including consultancy and develop you and promote you
financial advice. into positions of power.
She says: “I came to the UK from “Now I don’t dwell on
Zimbabwe with a burning ambition challenges because I think they are a
to make my mark in financial services distraction. One of my previous bosses
on a global scale. Little did I know at the said to me that problems will always exist,
time that ambition would be fraught with it’s how you handle them which is important.
challenges because of my race, my gender and my It’s about equipping yourselves with the tools to
nationality. It was disheartening. solve problems. The things that I would focus
“Earlier in my career my progression was lateral on are the things that have helped me with my
whilst my peers with similar performance ratings were progression. A key one is product. Deliver an excellent
promoted ahead of me. When your product so that nobody can downplay
confidence is knocked sometimes you or deny the quality of your service. So
go about things the wrong way. I tried know your craft.
emulating my peers and that didn’t “Something that really helped me,
work as you can only be your best by and was a big turning point in my
being you. I was frustrated so I decided You can career, was getting to a point of self-
to move organisations and that didn’t only be awareness. People will always criticise
work either as I was faced with similar you, you get a lot of criticism for being
challenges – it was a case of same your best by a female, a black female and a black
script, different cast. female from Zimbabwe – I have three
“So one day, I managed to get being you angles of diversity to me. You have to
access to a senior executive, and he differentiate between criticism and
was so impressed with the quality of my constructive feedback so if people are
work coupled with my positive attitude that he couldn’t being critical I just zone that out, but if people are being
stop singing my praises. He in turn introduced me to the constructively critical, that’s a good thing. When people
Finance Director who in turn arranged face time with are being critical, self-awareness is so important because
the CEO. These three gentlemen changed the trajectory you take that development feedback - which everyone
of my career – one became my sponsor, one my mentor from a CEO or a first-day intern gets - and use that to
and the other my boss. I uncovered the single biggest develop and progress, to learn, to be inquisitive and to
needle mover in my career ... sponsorship. I learnt back get yourself ready for that next job.”

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